A lighting control device described in Document 1 (JP 2011-192865 A) exemplifies a related lighting device. The lighting control device described in Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as associated technology) includes a switching regulator configured to supply a driving current to a series circuit of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), and switch devices individually and electrically connected in parallel with the LEDs. The switching regulator has smoothing capacitors individually and electrically connected in parallel with the switch devices. The switch devices are configured to turn on and off according to respective driving pulses that are output from a gate driving control circuit to the switch devices. That is, each LED is lit when a switch device electrically connected in parallel therewith is off, and is unlit when it is on. When the switch device is switched from off to on, a charge stored in a capacitor electrically connected in parallel with the switch device is discharged via the switch device that is on. It is therefore possible to suppress the occurrence of an over-current through the LED because the charge stored in the capacitor is not discharged via other LEDs that are not electrically connected in parallel with the capacitor.
Incidentally, the associated technology has a problem causing an increase in size of a circuit board thereof because it requires the smoothing capacitors, a number of which is the same as that of the LEDs. In addition, the switch devices requires semiconductor switching devices having a high withstand current because a charge stored in each capacitor is discharged via a corresponding switch device.